Great to get that plant I.D., and closeup shots to confirm its i.d. - thanks so much Kathy and V! I guess that falls into the tricks of the trade for garden tours - a bit like going to a flower show and seeing all sorts of incongruous things blooming together. My brain seems to be short-circuiting more often too and muddled memories merge together -- thanks to my trusty idyll friends it gets straightened out. I sure do like that plant and hope to see it in your garden, Kathy.

I do think it's wonderful when we see the same garden from different points of view and photos! I've got a photo of that sundial showing how its base was constructed on cinderblock. I thought they did wonderful things with all the rocky base they had and there were lots of wonderful things in it. Often I found myself noticing more of the ornamentation than the plants though. I know I likely over-jewel my own beds, LOL (read junk it up!).

V -- I cannot top an earthquake on top of snow -- a mere blizzard is too commonplace - stay safe and drive carefully.

I have discovered my "y" key is really sticking so I think my misspellings and weird words are going to increase -- sorry about that. Typing in the box is living dangerously.

I know I can provide white; but I may have to go in search of some yellow...

The picture is from 2008 as we didn't take a picture of the same scene in 2009. Yellow isn't one of my favorite colors in the garden but it is nice in spring.

Earthquake V?! That must have been a scary event with Haiti still fresh in everyone's mind! Apparently there's a substantial fault under Lake Ontario that is said to be overdue for a shaking too...!

I've been enjoying the pictures on the last thread so keep 'em coming... I particularly liked the small bench and the cat in the guitar case.

I gave an old friend in NB, who is an avid gardner, the link to the Idyll threads and suggested she might want to join in. It'd be interesting if she does....

Things are heading down to the wire here and a glitch appeared :-( Yesterday we spent the afternoon going through the pre-admission process and tests. We just got in the door at ~5:30 when the nurse called to say the blood tests showed I had low sodium and that she had called my family doctor to arrange for more tests today! We did that this morning and the lab is supposed to fax the results to the hospital. My doctor doesn't think the levels are low enough that they'd cancel the surgery. Hopefully not! We think that the most likely reason for the low levels is that I drink too much water and eat a relatively low salt diet. Never occurred to me that that would be a dangerous combination! I had a salty snack (popadums) with supper last night and some salty back bacon with breakfast this morning... We also had a bit of confusion over the plan for the morning of the 16th - the pre-admission said to go one place and the surgeon's office said to go another! We double-checked this morning and the surgeon's office's directions have been agreed by all as being the right ones. I'm getting a bit uneasy :-)

Well, of course, you're naturally uneasy, Woody -- rightly so but one hates to have bureaucratic snafus make the anxiety worse - so annoying. Does having low sodium go hand in hand w/ low potassium levels in any way? Sounds like it might be easy to boost the sodium as you're doing -

Saucy, I had another photo of Harold's I almost posted just like that, but it didnt do the yellows justice -- yours is much better.

Deanne has some great yellows in her garden - wish we could beg her to pop some up here....

I too took most of the yellows out of my summer garden as I had too much trouble getting them to blend w/ the other things; but Im a fan of yellow daffs and spring yellow - of course for Spring, I'd likely be wild for any color.

Im feeling lucky today because aside from the fact that the awfice had the nerve to be open despite metro closures, fed and local gov closures and blizzard warnings to citizens to stay home, I've had elecricity, heat, (some internet problems but that's okay), but even better the storm seems to have eased up here -- very windy but I managed to get out and shovel (once again) -- Im really hoping that's about the end of this storm. I think NE and PA are getting slammed though - at least PA is from reports from the Pater...

Here's hoping for some smooth sailing for every one for the next week!

-Cindy (who will dredge up more yellow when her photobucket comes back online...).

Woody, when I saw this out my window I decided it was for you! Do you see nature's valentine?

As for yellow, here's from last year:

The latest news from DD is that everyone is sick...but once Ivy is awake and vertical, she's all smiles. It seems she is now known as "the auctioneer" as she babbles at top speed. She has learned to handsign "MORE!" and that was while eating avocado. I can see why my mother enjoyed the kids by phone: all the talk and none of the stickiness.

Skyler gets his head shaved this week along with all the other boys in his class. He's thrilled! I donated to the cancer cause to help out, and was proud of his explanation of why the hair massacre was related to cancer.

DH is awaiting an appointment with a throat specialist. No call yet....

1.) My very best to you, Woody. I am certain this is a stressful time for you and I wish nothing but the best and the very best thoughts I have to offer. Really and truly. (hope your friend pops in, too!)

Yellow and purple. A favorite Iris which I wasn't crazy about at first, actually:

A very cool plant, though the foliage is a bit on the coarse side. Centaurea macrocephala in bud:

And in flower:

My file cabinets are home and they're white, not olive green! I'm pleased with them, they'll do the trick and keep the clean, bright theme moving forward. Next step is to reassemble the drawer workings and get the desk top and 'puter relocted to the Salon.

Woody, hang in there. I hope there aren't any more annoyances between now and your surgery. Things just aren't ever simple, are they? I hope your friend decides to join us. As a relative newbie, I can attest to how marvelous everyone is! One of the fun things now is that I know who is writing even if I haven't paid attention to the name at the start of the post. Everyone's style and personality certainly come through in the writing.

'bug, that valentine for Woody is wonderful. What a good eye you have! I can just picture Skylar's smiling face and bald head! Good for him. And isn't that babbling stage fun. I bet Ivy is an absolute hoot.

I think yellow is perfect right now, although like Cindy, I certainly could post pictures of white! Apparently, we have broken the record for the most snow in a season since they started keeping data. I am going to look up the erythronium. I have never seen that-very pretty.

DH told me today that I need to go back to school-not sure which idea of mine that was in response to-lol. I finally got started rearranging the guest room which is also my sanctuary from snoring. It didn't really need it-I am just bored and avoiding the really big jobs. Of course, now I don't have space for the blanket chest without making the room look too cluttered with furniture. Oh well.

V, wow. An earthquake would be interesting as long as no one is hurt and there is no damage. It's something I have yet to experience.

Chelone, that centaura is such an amusing plant. Looks like it should be a cartoon character! Glad the file cabinets are a success.

Kathy, I think I will have dreams tonight of you chasing snails through the garden to spray them with that cinnamon oil stuff. Maybe that combined with Chelone's flowers, so everything is animated. Fun.

Oh, and the raccoon was negative, so no shots and no more ER! Knock on wood.

Time to clean up a little. We are out of school for the rest of the week. One would think the house would already be spotless and completely organized by now. HA.

Wow V an earthquake. We had one wake us up two or three years ago. We are part of the New Madrid fault line. The one that made the Mississippi run backwards back when.

Chelone we are about due for some update photos on the Salon.

Not much going on here. I did run to town this afternoon to restock the pantry.

Bug Ivy must really jibber jabber fast to get that nickname. I Like your Natures Valentine too. I'm not much for mushy cards so I bought DH a book today. A combo Valentine Anniversary gift. Our 50th on the 12th. It snowed a lot that year too. Our shower was canceled twice.

Woody, Don't blame you for being apprehensive. Good wishes coming your way.

Thanks for the valentine gb - I see it... you certainly have a great eye behind a camera!

Some more yellow... The house is the largest bit of yellow in our garden - come Idyll on our front porch some day... :-)

And this combination we saw on last year's garden tour made me buy some of the Japanese Forest Grass. I'm still thinking about whether we have place for a yellow peony. I'm considering a Paeonia lactiflora 'Primavere' although it's something I needed to have thought about last fall, not this spring! The peony in this picture was a tree peony though.

From what I can find, there are some similaries between causes of low sodium and low potassium, but the high consumption of water doesn't seem to be listed as a cause of low potassium. I assume, because it wasn't raised as an issue, that my potassium is probably OK. I'm not sure when we'll hear of what today's blood tests showed - or what exactly they were looking for (it was all in a rush and I didn't get a chance to see what was ticked off on the form, but I'd guess they were also testing for signs of kidney or adrenal problems.) I'm a bit concerned I will now overshoot on the opposite extreme - i.e. not drink enough and become dehydrated and/or end up with too high a sodium level and high blood pressure. I'll be getting regular blood tests for sodium for a while I think!

Norma do those irises smell like lemons? Our previous house came with yellow and white irises that smelled deliciously like lemons and some pale purple ones that smelled like grape Kool-aid! Foolishly we didn't bring any of them with us and I've never been able to find them again.

Today was Jake's birthday. He wanted a harmonica with a holder (it goes around the neck to make it handless). Funny, I went to Guitar Center to buy it, and the guy said, "what key?" I didn't realize they came in all different keys. I ended up buying all seven in a case. He was thrilled. He's working on Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" and needed the harmonica :)

He took his driver's license test last night...no word on whether he passed or not. I can't believe he is sixteen.

I think I am going to bed. I have been needing extra sleep lately and I'm having trouble getting up in the mornings.

Sending good thoughts to you, Woody. There's a bit of irony in the fact that your link says low sodium can cause confusion, but it sounds like the medical world is doing its best to add to the confusion.

Really, really tired this evening. I suspect it has a lot to do with a good night's sleep being rather rudely interrupted this morning. I'll be off to bed soon-ish.

We didn't get much snow from the latest storm (only about four inches at most) but somehow the end of my driveway ended up with drifts about three feet deep by the end of the day. I made little Zippy car imitate a luge and I blasted through the drifts, but I also called snow plow guy and made sure he came back for one more round.

Its looking like the rain for the next few days will be intermittent , with periods of SUN in between. Weeding is my number one priority, though I still have a bit of rose pruning , one of which is a climber. I was able to walk after work tonight (itÂs light out when I get home ! ) and saw some blue through the clouds.

A question : I think IÂm going to coppice my ÂRoyal PurpleÂ Cotinus. Any warnings or words of wisdom on this ? IÂve never attempted this before , and it surely does not look like rocket science. I need to do it right away as things here are starting to break dormancy , the Bradford pears are already almost done blooming. My hopes is that coppicing will keep it from getting to huge, and also eliminate some awkward shapes with the current branching structure. Any thoughts ?

We have plenty of EQ faults here in Northern California ! Building codes are stringent , and seismic retro-fits of heritage buildings are always in process in Napa. YouÂre welcome to the tumblers V..not my favorite event, though god knows IÂve been in plenty of them.

Woody, anxiety is an awful thing isnÂt it ? It sure can mess with your day, your sleep, your relationships etc etc. I hope yours turns out to be completely unfounded ! You know you have a nice big cheering section here on the Idylls. I bought Hakone grass this year too, after seeing it in many settings on IU6. My challenge will be keeping it well-watered.

Lol Cyn, those snails donÂt move too fast so they are doomed as far as IÂm concerned. IÂll be really interested to see if this stuff works..if it does someone is going to make a lot of money-deservedly so as far as IÂm concernedÂI hate those little ba*%*rds !

Cindy, IÂm going to miss all your frequent posting when you have to schlep back to the awfice !

Ok, yellow..taken last Sunday-(no rain) the vineyards at Domaine Chandon , these vines produce the ÂbubblyÂ. From 2010-02-08

And since Cindy mentioned our truant Deanne, I take the liberty of posting her lilies , another IU6 shot. This lily is ÂTarragonaÂ . From Deannes Garden IU6

Woody - lots and lots of thoughts going out to you here too. I think our combined good wishes can make a difference:0)

The yellows are fabu-fabu but I too am missing Deanne and her winter birds and orchids. Has she defected to FB?

Eden - I have seen some really cool food made out of felt and would love to try it sometime. Felt is one of my favorite materials to work with as it is so cheap, feels great and comes in fantastic colors. It's wonderful to embroider on too.

So V - spill the beans - what sort of chickens did you decide on? I'm adding a few rare breeds to our flock this spring. Now we have some good layers established I'm looking forward to choosing some really unusal ones.

Cindy - I think you asked about eggs and chlorestoral? It's alwalys pruden to keep in mind. However, DH's is very low, mine was fine last time it was tested and the kids are still growing and eat a healthy diet in general. While we give away almost as many eggs as we eat, I don't worry too much about those we do as our red meat consumption is down to about once a week. A fresh, inexpensive, completely organic source of protein from happy, healthy birds to me is as good as it gets. And delicious! I might just hard boil one up for lunch.

I also thought of Tom Petty, Kathy. Saucy's House of Blues at Terrapin Station. It's all coming together now.

I wrote a big long post about sodium, Woody, and then thought better of it as I don't want to give medical advice on a public forum :) I suffered from low sodium last summer and my symptoms were not fun: profuse sweating, frequent urination, lightheadedness. Investigate adding some potassium rich foods with your sodium :)

I'll bet you just are waterlogged :)

This week is going by so slowly for me. I haven't ordered any seeds yet and that is nagging at me. I am not sure that I want to do that, this year, and that perhaps I'll just buy plants....but then I think of the expense or how fun it will be to see green under my grow lights and I waiver :) Maybe I'll order a few easy things today.

I don't want to go to work because I've been there alone all week. The guys have been working out in the field (because we're busy and that is good) but I don't like being alone all day every day...I need a t.v. there so that I can watch my soaps while I work :)

I know that at my next job, I'll need to see some people. I'm working with a life coach talking about new jobs. My MIL's friend just got her coaching license, so I get the friends and family discount. So far I am really enjoying the process!

Latest concerns here... Randy has been throwing up since yesterday evening - not sure if it's flu or food poisioning from a salad he had at a pub lunch with a friend yesterday. He thinks food poisoning is the most likely - we hope! And the 5-day forecast is now calling for snow on Tuesday and flurries in the days leading up to it. I need a break here...! :-)

Im still housebound -- I was all set to try to get back to work today having dug out the car, etc., but the metro is not running above ground (40 some stations are closed - half the metro) and my experience w/ the roads to drive into DC is usually that DC roads are abominable -- but taking a week of leave really sucks - what a waste - guess there will be no gardening days for me this spring. The firm only closed one stinking day altho the federal government, local governments, and metro stations (40 above ground) have all been closed and warning citizens to stay home.... there is one woman who lives farther out from me and she did manage to drive into DC today (she works in HR, one reason I've been leery of too close a relationship) and after talking to her, she will give me a ride tomorrow if Metro is still not open.... gotta get back there if only to preserve my remaining PTO days! She did say there were 4 sectys at the ofc yesterday and she's seen about 2 today; not many more attys there -- makes one wonder why they refuse to officially close the ofc along with the Federal Government if no one shows up anyhow? Really weird thinking....

Aargh, Woody, Im gonna hope it's just a case of bad food for Randy, and it will just be light flurries for you.

The yellow day lilies are glorious, Norma, and Drema! Yellow is a good color for us to dream of Spring -- I am day-dreaming that Spring decides to wake up in two weeks and this Winter is gone, gone, gone....

It's amazing how delicate our bodies are and how in sync they need to be -- too much, too little of any one chemical can apparently really mess us up -- who would have thought?

Saucy - what a nice mother present for your boy, who's not so young any more -- where did he come up with the idea he wanted a harmonica? Im like you - I need people at a job; found that out years ago when I worked in a small ofc of 5 people - I said never again.... It will be interesting to hear what you decide to go in search of after working with this life coach (glad you're getting a discount!)...

Glad to hear you're somewhat dug out and no frothing in the family, Cyn -- we'll all be bonkers by the weekend with cabin fever wont we?

I hope to hear if your slug remedy works, Kathy -- it's so wonderful to have light when you get home; Im hoping that will be the case in another month for me - if I worked closer to home, it would be happening.

Im sure I've got another yellow flower or two lurking in my inventory....

I love all of the yellow! One of my favorite colors in the garden. I haven't really met a color I don't like in the garden though. Red and orange are even making their way into my garden the last year or two. I seem to have a picture shortage of last years garden. Must have been too busy with the kids to take alot of photos and my older garden photos are either on my old computer which won't boot up or on Brad's. I did manage to scare up a couple things though. The first one is inula, not a great photo, but a really cool plant...

and stylophorum diphyllum or wood poppy as it's more commonly known (and a couple of rusty cats)...

Woody, all my best thoughts and positive energy and prayers going out to you and Randy.

Cindy and Cyn, hoping for warm temps to come your way and melt away all that snow for you!

Cyn, glad you can cross rabies off your worry list:)

Marie, I loved the felt food link. I'm going to try my hand at making some. Stay tuned for that...

I booted Chloe up and we went for a walk in the road -- it was pretty funny the first 10 minutes but once she got the idea that she could walk around, in between shaking each bootie, she was very happy -- we got some fresh air (wind is still fierce) and exercise -- sadly I didnt have my camera ready for a great photo op to compare to Misty's booties. I remembered I had some booties I bought a few years ago that she refused to wear and it must be a sign of her measure of desperation that she allowed me to put them on, LOL.

Lots of dripping and ice icicles dropping today here; I know we can't afford for this stuff to melt too fast, but it would be a relief to know it's off the roof. I think I heard the new official record breaking accumulations near Dulles are 75 inches total snow so far this winter..... of course, I heard Syracuse gets an average of 124 or so so we're still pikers in comparison. Considering we got almost all that 75 inches in 2 batches (Dec and this past week tho) that's pretty darn amazing for zone 7!

Okay, I know this is a bit towards charteuse, but I think it qualifies:

Laura - you always have the coolest plants - I love that inula; I've seen it in other gardens and admire it, but it does grow pretty huge; and of course, sunflowers -- the epitome of yellow flowers, Julie!

The "little old biddy" is back !!!!!
My computer man called yesterday to say it was ready , so I did a little road clearing, and made it out today.
Now, besides being very droopy, I am also annoyed, because I still cannot get on facebook! The access from my bookmark was no longer accessable, and I had to request a new password. I am awaiting their e-mail.
Walking is rather treacherous today, but I have carried in our evening's wood, and went up to the mailbox for our mail. I had called for my Cymbalta refill to be mailed to me, and it was in the mail today.
I didn't get enough afternoon rest.....
:-(

Helloooooooo.. from NH. Im so far behind I have no idea whats going on here except I heard a rumor there are color threads going on here. So many wonderful pics of sunny yellow.

Ive been a busy person lately with classes in the home studio and working on painting up some new pieces. Ive still been taking some bird photos but getting out of the blind and into the field to get a few new birds for my gallery. And nope Ive not been on FB much lately either. Just too buried in the winter activities here.

Nice to see Deanne pop in .. not a bad thing to be busy with winter activities. Hinting that our non-FB friends would love to see your owl pics ! Love that daylily- Im partial to the pure yellow, especially if they are tetraploids. The photos and combos are fabu !

Hi Julie ! Thats a great photo . Glad to hear of the even keel. Very welcome indeed after periods of drama-disruption.

Eden, I have quite a few rusty-kitty decorations in my garden too-Ill have to take a few photos of them. The SF Garden Show is in late March and I will no doubt make my annual purchase again this year.

Cindy, I was shocked to see a somewhat light sky this morning when I went into the awficeits been so cloudy and rainy for the last month I have missed the gradual expansion of dawn. . Maybe they should open the firm on Sat to let you guys catch up a bit. I cant even envision that much snow.

Holy cannoli, what a week! Im not about to complain over a mere 8 inches but there was still repeated shoveling of my moms driveway, pick up and delivery of groceries and meds for DHs parents and other weather related errands to keep me busy. With all the exercise and fresh cold air during the day and then a hot shower at night, Ive been tucking into bed early. Cyn and Cindy, I know youre ready to get out and about after being held hostage from the storm so many days!

Julie, what a relief to see your family is stabilizing after such a traumatic week.

VI keep meaning to tell you how much Im looking forward to your projects and chicken stories. And lucky you, going to NZ! It is beautiful; seems everyone wants to go there - you must be thrilled! I can already envision the spectacular photos youll come home with.

Denise, thank you for that link on the Ice Sculptures, wow! Those are spellbinding pictures! I cant imagine the tons of ice they took from the river or how long it takes to create just one of those sculptures. And I wonder how they do the lighting, it looks so magical.

Loved those coleus cuttings, Norma. That window must have the perfect light; the colors are still so vibrant. Do you change the water often? I tried a couple of cuttings one year and the poor things were so drab and faded I didnt keep them. Niki always makes me smile!

Eden, thanks for the added conservatory shots and describing the contentsand it has lights!! I bet you sit looking at it and get transported away in daydreams. I know it would have that effect on me. Let me guess, youre just like Maryget an idea, gather materials here and there and realize you have a talent for construction. Or DH is a carpenter,lol.

Hi Marian! Sorry you had computer trouble but glad youre back. Smack in the middle of winter is a lousy time to be without a computer. Did you have any accumulation from the snow storms?

Hoping Michelle is home now, the trip went as planned and the visit cheered everyone.

Brenda, maybe the baby will wait for Valentines Day?

And Woody, sorry youve had to deal with these unexpected concerns. Better to have them now and behind you so it will be all positive energy next week! Continuous good thoughts and best wishes flowing up there to you. Hope Randy is feeling improvement by now and on the mend.

Waving to Kathy, Deanne, Saucy and everyone else.

I need to work on yellows; like Saucy I love the palest shades but am still searching to match the site and light exposure with the right plant. Helianthus Lemon Queen is always a hit with the bees!

candy - I was having the same problem yesterday. I think I'll stop using my photobucket account and stick with just the Pcturetrail one. Photobucket also has an increasingly 'busy' look with gobs of ads. My Picturetrail albums I mostly use to keep a chronological record of the garden; Photobucket I use mostly for individual pictures to post on other forums.

No post from Cindy this morning..does this imply that she has returned to life at the awfice ?

No awfice for me today, but it is , of course, raining. I am diligently pursuing indoor tasks that have been neglected . The goal is to accomplish enough to spend the balance of the weekend outdoors-guilt free. So a mundane day stretches out ahead.

Marian, every time I see one of your Paphs I am reminded that I decided to start collecting them and have yet to do so. Maybe I will see what is available at Trader Joes when I go later this morning. They will usually have small ones in the 7 dollar range. Next month is the SF Flower and Garden Show, and theyre are typically a good many orchid vendors there, with some pretty reasonable prices, especially if you buy seedlings. I really like the color of the flower you posted.

Deanne , of course Charles had to show up on this yellow thread. Perfect.

Marian, your orchid is appropiate too. Love the fawn and cat shot. That is a keeper for sure.

Candy there is good light in that window, but I find that adding a drop of liquid feed also promotes good color. The narrow neck bottles really help keep the water from evaporating to quickly and seems to keep it fresher.

Mary DH made breakfast here. Pancakes. His favorite.

This is what I posted on facebook this morning.
Bob gave me a mushy card for our 50th anniversary this morning. Made me tear up. Me, not being a fan of giving mushy cards, gave him a book. At least it had a golden colored jacket on it. He said he thought gold was for 100th anniversaries. Uhummmnn not many people are married fo 100 years. LOL

Happy Friday! Lots of Valentines goings-ons at our house this weekend. Bella had her valentines party at school this morning. Brad attended, I stayed home with Kate. We're keeping both girls over night tomorrow night. That will be the first time that we've done that. Bella's excited to be able to spend a whole night with Kate in the same room. The weekend will also include a trip to the toy store to pick out valentine gifts and we're going to make a jumbo chocolate chip cookie and decorate it like a valentine too. Like I said...big weekend:)

Candy, Oh no,no,no, I can't compare to Mary. She thinks up all of her creative ideas and implements them herself. I just think stuff up and Brad has to figure out how to make my ideas into reality. He always does a great job though and somehow does exactly what I had pictured in my mind. Helianthus Lemon Queen is a favorite of mine too!

Marian, glad to see you're back up and running. Couldn't have been fun being snowed in with no internet access. I love your pictures, expecially your beautiful orchid and the little deer.

Kathy, I think Cindy said she was going to catch a ride into work with a coworker. I may have read that on FB. I have a hard time remembering which place I've read something, here or there.

Deanne, beautiful examples of yellow!

Kathy, I'm doing housework today too but without the added incentive of getting out and gardening the rest of the weekend. You are a lucky girl!

I'll leave you with a picture of Bella and some of the valentines she made for her classmates. She was very proud of them. I noticed when she brought home her bag of valentines after school this morning that no one else had made theirs. Just the store bought ones. And we had so much fun creating ours!

Actually, Eden, I found a lot of interesting things to do, and sort of regretted getting involved in the computer again. I cannot seem to tear myself away from it, even when there is nothing 'going on' on it. I feel like I am neglecting it when I go to do something else. :-(

Thank you, Woody, for mentioning you experienced the same with PB! I was starting to think Id done something to cause the problem. Is your account working today? Still no luck with mine. You are so right about all the "busy" on there, very irritating with the flashing; pesky to navigate without the cursor bumping into an advertisement and expanding over the screen. Im not familiar with Picturetrail and hope its user friendly if I need to open a new photo storage site.

Norma, Im going to remember that tip about the liquid feed and narrow neck bottles, maybe try a few cuttings next fall. But, isnt it hard to get the roots back in when you change the water? Not sure how often you cutting pros feel its necessary for that to be done? Boy, if there was any question about my house plant mortality rate, plant identification or seed starting abilities, by now its apparent I am totally witless, lol.

Oh, and I thought Bobs comment about gold for the 100th anniversary was so sweetnow thats serious commitment!

Have fun playing outside tomorrow, Kathy! Im curious what you can do out there after so much rain. You also must have paths to move about on as you work? Need some photos! DH always cautions me to stay out of the yard during soggy spring weather. Im sure the terrain is very different in your region, though.

Way to go Eden, hand made Valentines are the bestBella looks so pleased with her creations! I still have craft boxes full of stickers, heart patterns, lace and glitter from when the kids were growing up. Im taking some to a nearby Girl Scout (little Brownies) meeting tomorrow where theyre making Valentines for a senior center. A friend of mine is the leader and Im donating extra supplies. Also a bake sale on the schedule so I need to get in there and start my Valentines cookies and cupcakes! DH and I are going out to dinner Sunday and this restaurant has a very decadent chocolate cake, so Im determined to limit my taste testing this afternoon. No licking the bowl, lol.

Marian - I just love the fawn and your cat peering out through the window. Our backyard is somewhat similar to yours right now too.

Hooray - a weeks vacation starts today (February break). Annie, David and I are heading to NYC Wednesday for a few days of museums, big city lights and fun. I've been planning out what we'll do. So far we have: a visit to MOMA, lunch at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station, The Bodies Exhibit, Fondue at a hip restaurant, Chelsea Market for shopping and Gluten Free dining, perhaps Macy's for Annie and wandering around Times Square where we are staying. I can't wait!!

Happy birthday to Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. Lots of notable Aquarians out there, and belated best to Jake, Saucy. 16 is a "big" birthday. :)

Not much to report from the Compound, really. I messed around out in the Salon to day, reassembled the file cabinets and cut pcs. of carpet to put under them and prevent them from scratching the floor when they're moved for vacuuming. Not sure if I'll make a new desk top for the area and leave my faux black marble in here. It's been sort of fun picking away at little persnickety detail stuff that probably only I'd notice, but that please me nonetheless.

Have finished my research on making roller shades for the Salon windows, too. It seems that the hardware I'll need is all readily available but the adhesive used to bond the face fabric to the lining cannot be guaranteed to arrive safely until the temperatures are above freezing. Evidently, freezing in a warehouse is very bad news for the goop. Not sure what the options to sidestep that are just yet. At any rate the project will not be an inexpensive one, though it intrigues me and would be a nice way to recharge creativity batteries that have lain unused for too long. I need someone like Eden to come hang around with me for a week or so! The valentine project made me smile from ear to ear.

NYC will be such fun, Mary. I meant to comment on David's performance being nixed on the CD. Doubtless he was "dipsointed" but kids bounce back quickly enough and music is enough about critique that it will soon be forgotten.

I also smiled at the "long arm of the law" reaching out to snatch away the electronic delights from a continued recalcitrant Skyler. BRAVO! act like a jerk and things will suck temporarily but alternatively new pleasures and joys will be discovered. It's simply a question of perception, is it not?

Well... I see our resident biddy has resurfaced. Nice to see and hear from you, Marian. Your orchid is lovely and what fun that it originated with Ei. I love that sort of stuff. The shot of the kitty eyeing the deer through the window is just terrific. Love that. I really notice the difference in the length of daylight hours now and even when it's chilly outside there is some melting. But the woodstove is seeing daily use and it's much appreciated, let me tell you. Hard to believe it's time to get busy on the future store of firewood!

Norma, 50 yrs. is a tribute to compatibility and good senses of humor. If you can't find the funny in each day I figure it's time to "cash it in". I always maintain that marriage ain't for the self-important and you have to master the art of negotiation or you'll wind up pretty miserable. Warm and admiring congratulations to you and your lucky spouse. :)

I have thought of Cindy and Cyn. several times over the past week. I have to say I'm amazed at the rank stupidity of Cindy's awfice. For heaven's sake, they were asking people to stay home. CLOSE THE DAMN OFFICE, you ding-dongs. Or at least set it up so people maybe "telecommute". I mean, c'mon boys... we have the technology, don't we??

I recall thinking that being inside the wicker hamper was one of the best places to be, too, right along with the cabinet under the kitchen sink... . I was a tad older than Ivy, but that charming shot of the Auctioneer (Lol) reminded me of it.

Candy, the deer do not normally come quite that close to the bay windows. They are getting desperate for food. One dug in the snow right up against the front steps a day or two ago. It was looking for grass.

Speaking of orchids....2 of my Phals are in bloom, and another is getting close. Three more are putting up flower spikes. Unless some disaster strikes them, they will have blooms well into summer.

I didn't post the pic of the redtailed hawk eating scraps that I had thrown out in our circle drive for the crows. I do not have a camera that takes good close-ups, so it is pretty distant. It and the crows were oblivious to each other.
The bluebirds are back. I saw a pair the other day.

Woody, my hopes and prayers are with you.

Chelone, I quess you know....I am getting a kick out of the 'biddy' thing. So....now I am a pioneer biddy.....:-)

I knew I forgot something... and it was WOODY. ;) There probably isn't anything I can offer up right now that will make much difference in the way you feel. It really is fascinating how finely tuned our bodies and their chemistries are, although discovering "imbalances" during pre-op. screenings is probably not great timing. And therefore holds considerably less interest than at other times, huh? Hang in there my friend, you're in my thoughts often and always with a smile. Hang tough!

Marian, I figured you'd be OK with the whole "biddy" thing; let's face it, sister, I'm definitely a "Biddy in Training" and since I also happen to be a "modern pioneer woman" I guess it's not much of stretch to identify myself as a "Modern Pioneer Biddy". I shall do so with pride from now on! hope you'll do the same. ;)

Momentarily putting off my next JJ of the day, which involves organizing the music cds. Somewhere out there is the perfect solution for this , but in the meantime I occasionally have to sit down in frot the bookshelf and stereo and put an hour in to get it back in order. Still have the Christmas CDs in one of the magazines for my CD player.

Eden , so nice that Bella was able to present handmade valentines-so much more meaningful than the mass-produced and marketing-driven crapola that is out there. Maybe the tide will turn on this someday. I hope her efforts were appreciated by the little devils :-)

Candy, I still have a couple of roses to prune and boatloads of cutting back and tidying up if I stay on the paths it should be okay. If the sun stays out all day tomorrow I might be able to do some weeding on Sunday in areas that drain well. The rain this morning was of a drizzley sort and didnt add much to the saturation level. I will see what I can do about furnishing you with photos of what is a pretty dreary scene to my eyes---except for the Hellebores of course !

Ah Norma ! More views of your fabu-garden ..I didnt plant a single pansy this year .

Fun times to Mary and family..I hope the weather cooperates for you ! Does one need to engage a chicken-sitter ?

Ok, I better get to the job at hand before the day gets away from me ..

Im pretty tired this evening as Im teaching an intensive technical painting seminar this weekend. Great group of students though and Im enjoying working with them. There are some terrific painters in this class.

Mary, thanks for letting me know about the crewel project pic. It turned out gorgeous!!!! What beautiful embroidery you do! That photo put a big smile on my face! Its so nice to see that wool used again.

Cindy, I still cant believe youve gotten that much snow!!! Amazing

Marian, that is one well grown, beautiful paph. ~~ How interesting that the Red-tailed Hawk and Crows were feeding side by side. Normally the Crows would be harassing the hawk.

Woody, I sure hope Randy is feeling better and Im thinking of you and sending good thoughts your way.

Norma, so glad you enjoyed the pic of Charles. It has to be my favorite plant in the garden. Happy Anniversary to you!!!!!! Congratulations on 50 years! Fantastic! ~~ ust love the pansy pic! Soooo very cheerful

Eden that Bella is so darned cute!

Kathy, GORGEOUS rose! Love it..

So since you asked,,, Eastern Screech Owl photos.

This little bird has become a celebrity as it has chosen a roosting hole in a tree that is only about ten feet off Rt. 1A the two lane road that follows our coastline. I think every bird photographer in four states (and probably more) have come by to photograph this cutie. These birds are quite small and only between 7 and ten inches tall. This first pic is normally how you see him, just snoozing in the sun.

And the last time I visited it with my camera a flock of Blue Jays came by to harass it and it opened its eyes, fluffed up its ear tufts then popped down in it hole. It really looks annoyed and I just got the biggest kick out of this sweet bird.

And a close-up portrait

OK must run, Ive got to get ready for some serious shut-eye so I can be ready for my students in the morning. Waving hello to one and all.

Well what a wonderful variety of photos (and friends!) We have been hearing owls hooting back and forth, but no sightings. On the other hand, we see a great many red tailed hawks and saw one today, several times at that. Thanks for the wonderful shots Deanne! So good to hear from you!

Watching Bella at work on her valentines brings back very fond memories. We had a particularly good art instructor in grade school back in Buffalo in the late 1940s and 1950s, Miss Jacoby. I remember a few serious long term projects. One was making a map of the US states and selecting one chief product to represent each of the states, paint it and then varnish the entire result. It took ages to track down the correct drawings, but I still remember corn for Iowa! Anyway, I was one who loved making valentines from scratch too and I know I was the only one as well to do so. Lots of paper doilies and Elmer's Glue were used as I recall. Too bad for those who did not appreciate it! I had FUN.

50th anniversary. Hmmm. I'm surprised and happy that DH brought a tear to your eyes with a mushy card. That would certainly astonish me to receive such a thing! Stay tuned for a few years and we'll see!

Yesterday our friend came by to walk Phoebe and practice on our piano for a concert he'll be giving in March. How fine it is to hear him practice. He was playing pieces by Poulenc and Satie. Maybe Mary is familiar with those composers. Today he returned to help move wood from the barn closer to our front door. We are using wood like crazy in our wood stove and enjoy eating our meals nearby as well.

DH has found interesting tracks in the snow...large cat like tracks. We doubt it is a cat, perhaps a fox? It would be amazing to find a lynx! Good to see your wildlife shot Marian! We're not going to see 80 degrees for AGES!

We celebrate Family Day here in Ontario and also in Alberta on Monday. It is a rather new holiday for us. Sarah & DSIL may announce their big news that day. If so, Skyler will shout for joy. It seems every week when he returns to the house he asks if there will be a new brother or sister and they tell him to give it a rest... Chelone, here's the sequel to the shot you mentioned:

Still waiting for an appointment with the specialist for DH. It sounds like a bit of a repeat of Woody's long wait. They say anything from 2 weeks to 3 months wait. Oh swell...:( I think a trip to NZ would be a grand cure!

Candy I don't pull the roots out of the bottle. I just flush them with plenty of water. They have grown enough that I will probably just take cuttings from the tops and restart them when we get closer to spring.

Thanks for good wishes everyone. Staying married for 50 years does take a lot of work. There were some bad years in there but worth the effort in the long run.
Our sons and families are taking us out to dinner tomorrow night somewhere in the city. They are being mysterious about it and only say to dress casual.

I started a post from the awfice late yesterday, but had to flush it to get ready to depart.... it was an "interesting" day - starting with a 4 hour commute -- arrived at the awfice at 11 a.m. -- it started with driving and ended up with a metro ride when we figured out we would never make it thru the traffic jams thruout the city - we ended up at Pentagon City metro and took it in (one of the few metro lines open)... coming home was better - only 2 hours... but I pretty much felt like I'd been on an all-nighter by the time I arrived home. Thank goodness for it being the weekend already!!

Yippee -- Deanne has raised her head -- I knew you had to have lots of yellow in your gardens from my memories -- and I have to tell you, FB photos of that bird are absolutely a waste -- it takes this big size here to show of the magnificence of your shots and the bird. That is incredible! The detail -- and the look, LOL, what a look.

Mary is already off to NYC for what sounds like lots of fun - Im glad there will be good weather for you there tho.

Well, I've got only a few mins here - it's the pet groomer/ stock club mtg weekend - the mtg was to be at my house but there's no parking to be had and my front steps are treacherous and impassable - real safety iced hazards. But I need to go get food to take to the member's ofc where we're now holding tomorrow... it will be good to get out and do errands I think.. altho I'd rather be going to Logees or visiting the local nursery - I need some infusion of spring for sure.

Norma, WOW. 50 years is wonderful. I agree with Chelone that na sense of humor is a must! We all need to laugh more, I think.

Deanne, what a cutie that owl is! Wish we had some around here, but I've never heard any. I used to hear them when we lived in PA, but never saw any. They do have the best expressions when their eyes are open-the very definition of "Go away, don't bother me."

Marian, good pics of the hawk and crows. I am surprised he let them get so close and share his find. Fun to see that generosity does exist.

'bug, love the hamper pics, especially the follow-up. Sorry it is taking DH so long to get an appointment. I should think that it might be considered an emergency since it has gone on for so long.

Kathy, your rose shot is incredible. I think I am beginning to yearn for Spring.

Cindy, I think it stinks that your boss (bosses?) kept the awfice open, but didn't come in themselves. There is a name for people like that...DH went into work yesterday. I drove him to Crystal City because we had taken his car to leave it in the parking garage during the storm-easier than cleaning out his side of the garage. He didn't stay long. No one else was there except for two retired guys who volunteer. The secondary roads around here are still terrible, so I wonder how they will open schools on Monday. We'll see.

Eden, Bella will always remember making those valentines. I should run to the store to get supplies to make some for my little darlings (?) at school, but I am not sure that I am up for making 40+ cards. So lovely of you and she obviously had a grand time!

Mary, have a marvelous time in NYC. MoMA and the Bodies exhibit-sounds great as do the food choices!

I thought the Opening Ceremonies were terrific, but couldn't stay up to see the lighting of the flame. Gretzky was a good choice. So heartbreaking when the Georgian delegation entered the stadium. Now, I will be holding my breath even more than usual throughout the games. We really have ramped up the danger factor as we try to go faster, higher, etc. and kids just think they can do anything-at least, I know we did.

Can we rewind to the purple thread? I noticed some hardenbergias in bloom in the neighborhood, so headed out early with camera and cup of coffee. These Australian vines are like delicate wisteria, not house-eaters at all:

Enjoying these photo-intensive threads! Good to see the C's posting. I heard of the commuter derailment in D.C. enroute to work yesterday and was hoping Cindy stayed home again.

Happy anniversary, Norma. Always a treat to see your garden photos.

Marty stayed up with my mom to watch the Olympic opening ceremonies, so I was treated to a recap this morning. Don't know why I always prefer events second-hand, but I do!

The helpmeet is off on a luncheon date with a good friend who's just endured a cancer scare and the most invasive sort of feminine surgery. I have no idea when he'll return and don't much care; aving received the ultimate "dope slap" with respect to maintaining contact with friends I view this as a very, very good time investment...

I, however have just returned from my St. Valentine's Day shopping trip, with a good card and some lovely, all fruit jellies from a fabulous local confectioner. He'll love them and I'll love watching him love them. :)

Missed the opening ceremonies (too late for this BIT, Biddy in Training) but I was saddened by the tragic death of the Georgian luger. Apparently there has been a lot of talk about the safety of the chute and the fact that the training runs were limited... . "Monday morning quarterbacking" is always fool-proof, but when higher, faster, more efficient is the penultimate, I think more cauttion is called for.

Beautiful purple contribution, Denise. Is there a fragrance, too? I fear spring is still months away for me, but I'm OK with it. Already I'm able to see differences in the quality of sunlight and the maple trees. At mid-day there is generally some melting that occurs even if the air is chill.

The owl shots are wonderful, and I agree that he has a downright irritated look about him, lol. I've only seen one of those once, in a tree on the south side of the lawn. But Rex and I regularly find "castings" from owls and hawks when we walk the golf course and pass under the tall trees that ring it's cart paths. It's cool to see packages of feathers and minute bones; things you would not notice unless you knew what you were seeing.

Time to go put more vinyl spackling into open knots on wood destined for a nother table. And then the pickling will begin yet again...

Just popped in so as not to get so far behind. Fabulous purple, Denise. You and Kathy have chosen the right spots for living and gardening!

The derailment story became more interesting to me when I read in the Post today that it was a purposeful derailment caused by Metro to avoid a collision b/c the train was on the wrong track. Sheesh.

Chelone, your Valentine's Day treats sound wonderful and isn't fun to give something you know he'll love?! I have no idea what to do. DH never seems to really enjoy anything anymore.

I finally got my calendar pages to Kinko this morning (yes, I know, missed a whole month and half of another). I do a collage of the past year's pictures for each month and it seems to take me longer every year to sort, trim, paste. I was hoping it would be ready early (they aren't busy at all today and haven't even cleared a decent path to their door), but when I called, they said it wasn't done. Shouldn't fuss since it did take me a ridiculously long time to get it in there. At least they didn't tell me I was too late for a new 2010 calendar-lol!

Off to catch up on the Olympics. Steak, Caesar salad, and fries on the menu tonight. I'm hungry already because I skipped lunch. Maybe I'll see if DH wants an early dinner.

As per Candys request..
Doesnt look like much does it ? However , if one gets up close( and having spent the entire day either bent over or sitting on the ground I can speak with authority) the evidence for the arrival of spring is compelling. Stuff is growing my friends ! Some stuff that I wish was not quite yet, i.e Fuchsias. Late frosts can lay them low again. Amazing the things you see when youve been stuck inside for a few weeks. So, we have basal foliage on all Sedums, scapes on 3 Daylilies, foliage on all Clematis and several small flower buds on General Sikorski, leaves pushing out on Duetzias, Weigelas, Caryopteris. Tulips up, Daffodils up, Nastursium and the ubiquitous Nigelia volunteers are thriving. Buds are fat on the Lilacs.
The seed station is operational in the garage.. I sowed 4 colors of Benarys Giant Zinnias (wine, lime orange, crimson) Scabiosa Black Night and my Dowdeswells Delphs. Very pleasant to spend the day outside.

Well, I didnt make it to the torch lighting last night either, and became annoyed by the quantitiy of commercials . I guess if you were really into it it would be worth it buy a commercial free satellite packageprobably cheaper than going to even one event in person.

Deanne, what Chelone said..these pics are fabu when seen larger here !I wonder if that little guy will still be around in October ?

How I love those Hardenbergias Denise. I continue to admire them from afar though, no space for one at the present. They are in full bloom here too.

Chelone, I think your gift choice is spot-on. What is it about V-day that requires total impracticality ? Not to say that veering from the path of pragmatism is wrong- there are times when one has to just do something for the hell of it yknow ? Case in point my expensive seeds from NZ !

I spent a good part of the afternoon assembling the hive bodies and supers for my beehive. Here's a look at the work in progress:

The small rug was there for two purposes; it gave me something softer to kneel on and it also made the hammering a little quieter. I did most of the work myself, but I did need DH to lend me his muscles a couple of times to get the joints to fit together. The dovetails were quite tight-fitting.

Here's a closer look at one of the finished hive bodies. I put just one of the frames inside to give an idea of what it will look like. There will be eight frames in the finished hive body.

This week's assignment is to decide how I want to paint them (traditional white? another color? a design?) and then I will paint next weekend.

I also re-potted one of my agaves that was not planted in a cactus/succulent mix. The potting soil was holding too much moisture and the agave was rotting a bit as a result.

You only get a slightly weird look when you check out of the farm store with 50 lbs. of dog food, two bags of cactus mix and a box of nails. Hey, it makes sense to me!

DH was so pleased that he remembered to wish me Happy Valentine's Day first thing this morning. He couldn't believe it when I told him it was only the 13th!

Good news from DD. She's been accepted to graduate school at her third choice school. She's still waiting to hear from #1 and #2, but in her words, "At least I know SOMEBODY wants me!"

Mary, the chick choosing continues! I'm leaning towards a mix of Araucanas, Buff Orpingtons, Golden Wyandottes and Barred Rocks, but we haven't finalized where we are going to order from as yet. Every time I think I have figured out the best option, another possibility raises its head. I just found out today that the farm supply store can order all of the above breeds and that may be the easiest way to go. Decisions, decisions.

I just saw DH uncork a bottle of wine, so I think it's time to post this!

Well Kathy, I really am a "white" person, so those white hellebores strike a very pleasant chord! :)

Today has been an odd one with tons of phone calls interrupting things I'd planned to accomplish. I should have known. Today is DH's birthday, #69. So of course everyone wanted to talk to him and he can't talk. So speaker phone had a workout today. First the Alberta gang sang to him, then several other friends. I made him valentine shaped pancakes for breakfast with pecans, real maple syrup and fresh raspberries. Being the saint in residence, I only ate the raspberries followed by my stint on the treadmill.

Later we went out to get yet another size knitting needle as well as a meter to read the house humidity. When I got back to the car, DH had filled my seat with a large pink azalea plant for valentine's day. As they say "Say it with flowers!" So that went on my lap for the journey home. Of course they no longer make the meters, only the $50 variety that do 5 other useless jobs as well. So much for progress.

As we came to our bridge on our return to the farm, there was the small possum noodling around in the snow. DH took him (her?) an old apple from the kitchen as a reward for surviving the latest cold spell.

I managed to make a crustless cranberry pie for dessert tonight and it was well received.

Jude Harrison was born yesterday morning, around 5:30 a.m. My brain has been a bit overloaded, lol, and the exact time escapes me at the moment. he weighed in at 6lbs 13 oz, and 19.5 inches long. Everyone is healthy, happy and exhausted.

Like V, I spent too long reading and have little time to post. I need to get showered and dressed and go look the little guy over some more.
More later. Yeah, Chelone...look out-more baby pics.
Another Idyll Grandma :D
Brenda

I know I already told you, Brenda, but I wanted to say it here...Congratulations! He's a beautiful boy. It's going to be great to have another grandma here to swap stories and pictures with. You are going to be such a good and I have to add...FUN...grandma! I'm so happy for you and your family :)

Congratulations Brenda and family! I will think of Jude now everytime I play and sing 'Hey Jude' one of my favorites. He is a handsome baby,and healthy looking.
Did Cristina have a long labor? I hope not.
Neat that he shares a birthday with Bugs DH.

Bug, neat that you got an azalea. I know you like the color this time of year.

Kathy it's great to see a garden waking up. A glimpse of whats to come for the rest of us later.

Cyn, cool valentine for us flower lovers. Thanks.

V, are those a wildflower? They appeal to me. I know you will come up with a cool paint job for the bee hives although I kind of like the traditional white too.

We had a fun night out with the family last night at 'The Royal Dumpe' on Historic Lacleades Landing in St Louis.
Here is a paragraph from their website.
"Step back into 16th century England for an evening of Medieval Madness with King Henry VIII and his bevy of wenches! It's a riotous night of bawdy merry making and song as you are transformed back to the days of yore!"
Chelone you would have loved it.

It was hilarious and our youngest grandaughters DH and I became part of the show as the night progressed. They couldn't have picked anyone more shy than the two of us in a crowd. But he was a good sport and I did have fun with it. Bob and I were called up on stage too with all the other people celebrating birthdays anniversaries and retirements. Just a fun time and something the whole family enjoyed except for maybe Wyatt(thankfully most of it went over his head). He did enjoy banging the sticks on the table which they had everyone do instead of applause.
As we were leaving there was still quite a bit of Mardi Gra stuff going on in the streets. The streets there are still the old cobbles from way back when.The horses and carriages were out. And The arch at night is neat.

Norma, I meant to name the plant yesterday but forgot all about it! Those are Echinacea paradoxa, an Echinacea that is native in areas south of me. It does quite well for me and reseeds periodically but not abundantly. I know you have a lot of shade, but if you have some sun it should love your area.

Brenda, I'll congratulate you again! He's just a beautiful baby, following in the fine tradition of all idyll grandbabies.

The river birch is being "deconstructed" today. DH was sure it could be saved, but we sent photos to a friend who is an arborist and he said it should be removed.

We had our annual jazz service at church and then a chili fest afterwards. DH and I brought moose chili which was a hit. I also tried a smoked almond chili that was really good.

I have a short list of household tasks to accomplish, and I want to get them out of the way with enough time left to enjoy the sunshine in the loft today.

We arrived home last night to lots of snow including a snowy runway. Our trip was good in many ways. We did get to spend most of the week with Kenzie, which was fun. The weather was crappy by Florida standards but still not bad to us northerners. Two days it rained all day and 60 was the best the temps could do. We took advantage of that day and went to the zoo, which my little animal lover adored. My DD is cat sitting and Kenzie is loving that as well. There are still many concerns though.

We bucked snow drifts on the way to church this a.m. We were wise and took the 4 wheel drive pickup.

I see that Brenda has joined the club congratulations grandma, hes a cutie. Enjoy!

Norma, I was wondering how close you lived to St. Louis when we drove through last Saturday night. I enjoyed seeing the arch at night. We had dry roads the whole trip except the first 30 miles after we left home which was slushy and after that it was wet for a while. Congratulations on 50 years your celebration sounds very interesting and memorable.

Ive really just skimmed this Idyll but I did enjoy seeing Bellas lovely handmade Valentines, Ivys climbing adventures, an awesome owl and lots of lovely yellow.

I'll have to see if I can round up something yellow - I do have lots of it in my gardens.

I see Ive already failed at being keeper of the birthdays. Chelones was while I was in gallivanting around Florida playing grandma. I hope your day was enjoyable.

Welcome back to winter Michelle. I'm so glad you got a healthy dose of grandmothering while you were away. I hope there are photos to follow too. Sorry there are worries. There always seem to be some of those. We do our best though, don't we! It helps to have the little ones around to remind us of joy and humor.
Hugs!
'bug

Aw shucks, looks like my 3 day weekend is drawing to a close.I sure got some weeding done though, in spite of the mud enviornment in my garden. I managed to move a couple of things too. Not ideal conditions, but spring is knocking on the door very insistently, and its now or never for some chores.

Welcome home Michelle, so glad you got to spend time with Kenzie. I beginning to think that concerns will never end. Adult children are still children , and what happens to them , happens to us . Hugs to you ..

Norma, I have been to Lacleades Landing , back in the day when I traveled to STL a couple times a year on business. There was a jazz/blues club there that we would visit. I also saw Willie Nelson at the restored Fox Theater there. What a spectacular place that was ! It was years ago, but Ive never forgotten it.

Ai yi-yi bug ! Never underestimate a bear !

So I decided I was gong to watch the Olympics, but now I am having some issues. Last night I getting annoyed with the frequency of the commercials so I logged them between 9 and 10 (Okay, so maybe this is over-the-top) and here are the times : 9:07, 9:15, 9:19,9:36, 9:46, 9:49,10:04. Ludicrous. Disrespectful of the athletes. Tonight I have the games on , but the volume off . If I see an event I want to watch I can turn the sound on , and when its over (in 4 or 5 minutes) I can mute it again and go about my business. Does this bother anyone else ? Maybe its because I only watch TV during baseball season and never watch commercials at all during the season-when one comes on I just switch to another game.. OK, rant over.

V, I dont know how to add text to photos either ! I need a tutorial .. Thought of you an Saucy today when I was on my photo shoot in Carneros, lots of hives were seen, mostly painted a sage-y green or white .

Woo-hoo, Brenda! Congratulations to your family on the arrival of Jude Harrison.

Good work on the bee boxes, V.

Norma, I had a similar experience in a comedy club with my BIL, who loved the spotlight. Made me cringe and slump in my chair. Glad you had a great time.

Thank goodness Michelle is back to whip us all into shape.

Happy birthday, Chelone! And a birthday tip. Not sure if you've heard of the book Wolf Hall yet on Thomas Cromwell, advisor to Henry VIII. It's been winning prizes and getting good reviews. Sounds right up your alley.

I can add text to photos too...but am too champagne-brunched out for the task tonight! G'night

This Idyll is rolling along as we reach the middle of February and inch our way closer to spring!

Brenda, congratulations! I agree with Norma and Marian, handsome is the word for Jude. Love that picture; look how laid back he isperfectly relaxed, no visible signs of just making his entrance into the world. Hes probably the only one who wasnt exhausted, lol.

Deanne, thank you for sharing the owl photos. They are such unique creatures. Reminds me how our tabby cat was famous for her owl ears when she was displeased about something. Dont let your busy schedule wear you out as winter drags on.

Marian, those are really good pictures of the hawk and crows considering the distance, glad you posted them. I tend forget how big crows are and then when I see one fairly close by, Im a bit uneasy. They dont like me trying to run them off and they dont scare easily. Once, while I was weeding, a crow flew in fast and landed on the birdbath full of water very near me, almost tipping it over. Another time I was standing on the patio near the house when I heard this clattering on the roof followed by loud cawing. Just as I looked up a small plastic cup, of what turned out to be fast food BBQ sauce, bounced off the gutter and hit me on the shoulder. I could hardly believe that crow had been flying along carrying the cup in his beak but there was no other explanation for it!

I beg to differ, Kathy! Your garden looks pretty darn dramatic to me, lol. Shockingly green to these cabin feverish eyes, in fact. It will be weeks before I see any basal growth so thank you for the glimpse of an early garden. So, when will most of your shrubs and perennials be leafed out and blooming?

Vyouve been as busy as a well, a bee! Sounds like your chicken project is going to be of good size. Did I somehow miss you building a hen house?

Norma, nice to hear you and DH had such a fun evening celebrating your anniversary with the family!

Our Valentines dinner tonight was delicious; we both decided to order steak with grilled mushrooms and yes, really splurge on calories with 3 layer chocolate cake topped with raspberries. Sneaking in more purple with my Valentine bouquet from DH.

Bud vases hold their own simple charm for me so I couldnt resist pulling out a few

And back to yellow

Woody, sleep well on the cushion of many special thoughts going out to you!

Hopefully better late than never. I am not very good at being a back up birthday keeper. I can barely remember my family's big days. I am working on a remedy (like a LOUD alarm system, "Idyll Birthday, Idyll Birthday!"

Chelone, don't know how to add text to pics. Don't know how to change the font in these posts. Do know how to wish you happy birthday, though! Hope it was the best ever.

Can't wait to show those plane pics to my DH-retired Air Force pilot who always thought it would be fun to get a plane like that one and ferry people up to wilderness areas for fishing. Duct tape, huh? That is amazing, 'bug.

Denise, I am going to look up that book at the library. Should be fascinating.

Kathy, you're right about the Olympics coverage. We do the same thing with the sound. Also, love that Roman bust in the garden. What a face and such a penetrating gaze. Wonder who he was.

It is looking as if we may get the kids back at school tomorrow with a two-hour delay. that is the plan according to the powers that be. Should be interesting considering the shape of some side roads around here. Today has become a teacher workday and our principal is letting us work from home. Very nice of her. Oh, and we did lose our modified calendar when the school board voted last week. Not sure I can keep at this for eight more years-I have to work until 66 for full Social Security benefits-ugh.

Oh my word !!! Chelone, I am so sorry we all missed your birthday! Shame on us......I hope you had a good one.

Candy, you must have a differant kind of crow than we do. Although I have been feeding 'ours' for years they are still very timid, and fly off if they so much as see us move inside the house ! I have to be very careful about approaching a window to get their pics.
Also, it is not the hawk that intimidates the crows. It is the other way around. The crows attack any hawk or owl that they see. They make a very annoying racket in doing so, and do the same with snakes.

Marie, I am wondering what the buildings are in the 4th pic of the damaged plane. I am not surprised that bears can do such damage. I suspect it was a polar bear...or more than one.

Chelone - hoping you had a very Happy Birthday with very best wishes from the feathered ladies. Sorry the gals were not all looking at the camera. In fact Red Betty looks as if she is high-tailing it out of the picture. You know how group photos go.....

Mary

PS V - you are not the last, I still haven't sat down and figured it out:0)

Being brief today as I really need to get off my arse and do something constructive. Although I have managed to get my computer upates fixed with the help of Judy at microsoft.
I'm a little tired of the computer right now.
We had more snow overnite.
Later Norma

Take a day off for quality family time and look at what greets me upon my return! Very cool pictures, you guys. (I have no idea whatsoever how to put text over a picture, either, so I'm in pretty good company, I see!).

My thoughts are with Woody today as something in the back of mind says the 16th. is the big day? May the wind be steady and the seas smooth, a beam reach toward recovery, my friend.

Brenda, Jude looks pretty good for one so freshly "out of the brine", so to speak. Try to use some restraint with the pictures though, willya?! :)

I see spring everywhere in your garden, Kathy. Probably just because we who love to watch spring overtake the ground know what to look for... .

I will have to look for that book, Denise. While Cromwell has a pretty grim reputation (the architect behind the fall of Ann Boleyn) he suffered mightily at his own fall. What many do not appreciate, however, is what a very, very capable official "Mr. Secretary" was, as was his predecessor (and mentor), the equally disgraced Cardinal Wolsey. Too often the depth and real worth of a person is lost in the myth. Henry VIII was fortunate to have such astute, capable, hardworking men at his right hand... ..I also want to read "In Fed We Trust" by David Wessel (Wall St. Journal and frequent NPR contributor).

Wow, the bear vs. plane series is a sobering reminder of the power and drive in an animal that is looking for food! When park officials tell you not to leave food in your car or bring it into your tent it's wise to take the advice to heart, huh?

Big day here, today. The pride had to go to the veterinary clinic for shots. Polly and Vera in their suitcases, Spencer wearing his jaunty red harness. All are in good condition, had some tartar scraped off their back teeth, and came home with the yearly dose of Drontal. They have been successful hunters over the months and as a result are little "mobile homes" for all manner of worms. ;) But not for long!

We are having "linner" again today, and it smells pretty good. Gotta go.

This is a pic from the Home and Garden Show here last week. I just loved these butterflies, and thought you would enjoy them too. They are galvanized or stainless steel, not supposed to rust at all. The heat from the torch makes the color.